Let Students Learn the most Important Thing before Learning English
Teaching English is not limited on teaching words and phrase. Language is one thing which is connected to what people’s thought and improvement of them. Thus it has close relationship with heart. It is not absolutely easy for people who have high English skills and English knowledge to communicate with others, but it depends on different people. That makes a sense why a knowledgeable person cannot build a good relationship with person sitting next her or him.
Each language learner needs a long time for language acquisition. It is done by some researchers for native English children to study English. They spend average 17000 hours to study English before entering primary school. Comparing with this data, children who learn English as a foreign language spend one lesson (40 minutes) per week. Totally, it cost them 35 hours on average every year and 70 hours in 2 years. This number is only at ratio of 0.4%.For students in the middle school who learn English. they learn English 4 hours a week and 420 hours 3 years. This is in lower rate which at the ratio of 2% that compared to 17000 as well.
How to use English should be put in the core of teaching children English. It is difficult for native speakers to understand what speakers say. Thus how to communicate with other people in English as foreigners is harder to control. In English school education, it is necessary for teachers to teach children to read heart and connect their heart with others by using English. There are other aspects that include inter-culture, attitude, value and etc.
The aim of teaching English activity is to teach students to understand language and culture deeply, to cultivate positive communication attitude, and to improve student’ proficiency with accustomed of English pronunciation and expressions. Here is a form in Kanamori's research which gives a simple explanation of different aims of student should have in various stages as below:
English teachers should recognize that it is more important to give students enough chance to experience communication in English learning activities. Compared remembering vocabularies or grammars, cultivating communication attitude is necessary. Some researchers say that it is benefit for children to learn English as early as possible. According to the research of biology, the golden period of learning one language is before 5 years that is because it is an important period for children’s development of brain. But it doesn’t mean you can teach them as much as possible. What educator should think is quality but quantity. Considering the reason what I said at the beginning of the passage, mastering a language is a long time. Therefore, do not give too much pressure to children to learn English too much in a short period. In various period of leaning English, learners have different abilities to accept English to some extent. Especially for primary school teachers, you should pay the core on how to stimulate students’ motivation of leaning English but not to pay too much more attention to scores.
As we all know, when people have physical injury, no matter short or long time does it need, the hurt can be cured. However, when people are hurt on their heart, it is too complex. Language is a tool for us to communicate with others. Thus, it is easy to hurt your partners by words some time. This utterance is occurring at the moment of people’s unconsciousness. What I emphasize of this important language aim to let educators to recognize the important work of teaching English. That is education of importance of language. English, as one language from some communities, has its special function of language. What English teachers should do is transfer its importance to students.
